Judge Shelves Catcher In the Rye Knock-Off

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ban On Catcher In The Rye Sequel Fails To Prevent New Book By Orlando Author Orlando, Fla. – July 8, 2009 – Despite last week's ruling by a U.S. district judge that an unauthorized sequel to the classic “The Catcher in the Rye” cannot be distributed here in the U.S., an Orlando author is pushing forward with his own controversial novel. J.D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye, successfully sued Mr. “J.D. California” for copyright infringement to prevent publication of "60 years Later: Coming Through the Rye." Last week, U.S. district judge Deborah Batts ruled on the case, dubbing it an “unauthorized sequel”. It's publication in the U.S. has now been suspended pending appeal. But now an Orlando resident is publishing a book of his own that some are saying could also incur the wrath of Salinger’s attorneys. MetroWest author Marcus Burke has penned a novel which some feel follows the life of a character suspiciously similar to Holden Caulfield, the angst-ridden protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye. However, Burke insists that his book Blue American should not suffer the same fate as J.D. California's work. "J.D. California and his publishers were extraordinarily brazen in thinking they could get away with such a blatant attempt at an unauthorized sequel," said Burke. "Salinger is one of the most protective and litigious authors alive. In the literary world, he's as famous for copyright lawsuits as he is for his writing." Burke feels that unlike 60 Years On, his book would survive a legal onslaught since it does not claim to be a sequel to Catcher in the Rye and does not borrow directly from the original. "It just follows the life of a teenage boy in a similar situation," says Burke. "And however similar the context and circumstances, there is no mention of Catcher or any of its original characters. The protagonist is very much a product of today's world, not the 1940's. However much the protagonist might feel like a modern Holden, it would be a grand legal stretch to demonstrate any copyright infringement – and that makes all the difference." The first three chapters of Burke’s novel Blue American, can be found (for the moment at least) online at www.BlueAmericanNovel.com Marcus Burke was raised in the U.K. and is no stranger to literary controversy. In 1993 he hit the national U.K. headlines when he published "Coming Out of the Blue", a book about gay and lesbian police officers in the British police service. He has a PhD in social psychology and lives in MetroWest, Orlando. Contact Marcus Burke at: UKMarcus@gmail.com Telephone: +1 407-394-4628 (cell) # # # Reply